If you've ever wandered around your neighborhood wondering about the lives inside of your favorite homes, Instagram account We Live Here Now is for you. Planted at the intersection of flash fiction and real estate fantasy, the account imagines how people came to live in their homes—who they are, how they felt, the ties that strengthen when a couple shares a space.

Sharlyn Anderson is the voice behind the account, giving each post its heart and soul and imagination. We spoke with her about the genesis of the account, using Instagram as a medium and keeping an air of mystery around the houses she profiles.

A post shared by weliveherenow (@weliveherenow_) on Jan 5, 2018 at 2:41pm PST

How did you come up with the idea of We Live Here Now? What were your major sources of inspiration?

We Live Here Now originally started on my own personal account as an occasional post series. I am a realtor by trade, so I already had a peek into the lives and homes of others. After years of followers asking for it, I started a separate account for @weliveherenow_ on January 1st with the promise to post a new story every day. That has since transformed into an original post every weekday, with a custom post on Sunday for that week's giveaway winner, which has been a really fun addition.

In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer writes, "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living." By writing about the imaginary lives of the people in these homes I am allowing myself the pleasure of trying on these other lives. I think social media can con us into thinking the life we've chosen might not be the absolute best one imaginable and this project helps give me peace that the one I've chosen is good, and enough, and not my only option. It sort of allows me to have it all while keeping what I've got. And it allows me to be overtly romantic, which I think people crave but won't willingly admit.

Do you know the folks in the homes?

I do not know the people in any of these homes, and I'm not sure I want to, only because I'd like the imaginary stories to remain the truth as I see it. What if the magic is lost? Though I have already had a couple commenters who know the owners or previous owners, so that may increase over time!

There's something particularly effective about using Instagram as a platform for these stories—does it influence what and how you write?

It does. The other day I wrote a story about a couple who started in the home as roommates and fell in love over time. I was particularly proud of it and so excited to post it, but it was much too long for an Instagram caption, so it really had to be edited down quite a lot. I am still happy with the end result, but some of these stories deserve longer formats and I would like to explore finding a home for them this year. I love getting comments like "This should be a book!" I'd like to say back, "I'm writing it, send me a publisher!"

A post shared by weliveherenow (@weliveherenow_) on Jan 24, 2018 at 10:59am PST

Almost all of your stories are about couples in love and building a home together, that particular brand of intimacy — did you intentionally decide to focus on that?

I did. I like to joke that I am a hopeful (as opposed to a hopeless) romantic. I truly believe that love and connection are the driving force behind everything we do, whether or not we decide to acknowledge it. There is a lot of really important and beautiful art being created that focuses more on making statements on the current state of the world, and We Live Here Now just isn't that. I would like it to be a shining light in people's days, a respite from the never ending news cycle of doom.

I am filled with joy with every single comment left about sharing the post with a loved one, or crying on your daily commute, and I can't believe my writing elicits that kind of emotion. What a fun, lucky thing to be a part of.

What intrigues you about people building a home together?

I have been drawn to the idea of home from a very young age. At ten I would beg my parents to take me to open houses on the weekend, so I have been a big fan of websites and publications centered around interiors for a long time. Actually, Apartment Therapy was one of the first places I noticed talking about more than the makings of the home in a physical sense. With the question, "what is your favorite thing about your home?" appearing in many of the early house tours. People were taking the liberty to answer that question about who they were sharing their home with. I love that idea, that home is not just what surrounds you, but who you invite inside, who you share yourself with.

Do you have any favorite stories or books that center around a home?

Do songs count? Miranda Lambert has a song called The House That Built Me that I think it a beautiful representation of what space can mean to a person as it helps shape them into who they are. Cam also has a song called Village that really captures the idea of your heart becoming your own home, that everyone you love has made up who you are and you keep them with you always. My siblings and l are obsessed with it and send it to each each other all the time!

I hope that my captions read the same way that song lyrics might, telling you enough of a story to capture your imagination, but leaving enough out to let you run wild with it and really make it your own. I think that is part of the reason the stories seem to resonate with people, they can see themselves in them. I love when couples tag each other in the comments, I know I've written something that reminds them of their own relationship and that is really special.

A post shared by weliveherenow (@weliveherenow_) on Jan 18, 2018 at 10:04am PST

Do you have a favorite house in Portland?

It's actually hard to answer this because my favorite home was torn down earlier this year. My roommate and I joked that they moment it disappeared (it was dilapidated and on a large lot) we were out of here. We moved in a couple of blocks away and not even a month later there was a wrecking ball. It was pretty heartbreaking. Portland is changing a lot lately and while I understand that development is necessary, it's still hard to witness. Hopefully this project can help commemorate some of these older homes and give grace to the stories lived inside of them. So my favorite home in Portland? It has to be mine.